


Lime Blue

by Archristol



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-27
Updated: 2014-12-09
Packaged: 2018-02-27 05:02:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2680145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archristol/pseuds/Archristol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korrasami prompts off of my tumblr ask. Mature themes will be noted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Still Need You

The bearer of weary blue eyes gazed up upon itself – or rather, a symbol of its former self. It was tall, hefty, and exemplary with its accurate pose and detailed many crevices, the accentuating gleam provided by the moon only a mere addition to its grandeur.

Korra stood quietly in the middle of the park named after her, unaffected by the cool evening breeze and the sounds of chatter from the dissipating welcome party around her.

The statue which represented her seemed more alien than familiar. As much as she had recovered physically, mentally and emotionally there was still the gnawing feeling of self-doubt lingering within her. And looking at the giant carving of refined rock, she took shame from it instead of pride.

She wasn’t strong. She was just overconfident and naive.

A single tear was ready to be formed when a soft-spoken voice manifested before it.

“Do you like it?” Asami probed ever so politely behind her.

“Yea,” Korra replied immediately and gave her a brief glance of subtle approval, avoiding the risk of appearing hesitant.

“Guess who chipped in to have it built?” the taller woman smiled as she peered gently by her side, hands behind her own back.

“I heard,” Korra murmured plainly, “Thanks. It’s... Something.”

Asami frowned slightly to herself, unimpressed by the Avatar’s unenthusiastic reply.

For three long years, Asami respected Korra’s space. And honestly, it was fine. She needed to tend to her own matters while the Avatar tended to herself. In a sense, she felt as if she was helping fill the void the Avatar left by building the train station.

But that could only carry on to an extent. And that extent was met after the time-consuming project was finished.

So with half-lidded emerald eyes and a timid tone, Asami proclaimed, “I missed you.” Her iteration was as silent and barely grating as the rustling of leaves. Barely grating - in that she could be angry with her but wouldn’t. She cared too much.

And yet the darker-skinned woman kept callous, solely stating dully in return, “Missed you too.”

“I mean it,” Asami quickly added, ears desperately anticipating her acknowledgement. Not receiving it, she tried something else to catch her attention and, more importantly, uplift her spirits. “You’re the strongest person I know, Korra,” she genuinely admitted, slowly clasping her hands by her own chest.

“Thanks,” Korra replied straightaway, blue eyes stubbornly glued to the sculpture.

Unwilling to surrender, Asami circled and met her face-to-face. “No. Scratch that. You’re the strongest person, period,” she sternly corrected and laid a hand on the tan shoulder, her countenance as compassionate as it was serious.

Alas, the younger woman refused respond, only tilting her head downward to avoid eye contact.

Crestfallen, Asami’s mouth fell a tad agape before her brows furrowed despodently.

She couldn’t comprehend why she ached so much inside when she saw her struggle – but she did and she wanted for it to stop.

“I’ll never know how you feel, Korra,” she bent at the knees to force their eyes to lock, “but I’ll always be here for you.”

Korra’s lips contorted a minuscule in disdain, irritated because she wasn’t worth the time. “Why?”

Finding newfound courage from the interaction, at least, Asami ardently assured, “Because I want to.”

“I hate to disappoint you but...” ashamed and unable to easily accept Asami’s kindness, Korra veered her head to the side and ignored her gaze once more, “I’m sorry... I’m not as strong as you think.”

Asami clenched her teeth inside momentarily, slowly running out of patience. “Being strong doesn’t mean you have to be invulnerable, Korra.”

“What do you know?”

Her low groan of displeasure could be deciphered, taken aback by the retort. Not to be silenced, however, she quickly grasped the darker hands, brought it to her level, then pleaded, “Korra, please... The world needs you.” She paused and rubbed her lips tightly as if it renewed her strength. “And if you don’t believe that...” On the brink of scowling heavily from the thought, she swallowed the lump in her throat then finally whispered wholeheartedly, “Then at least believe that I still need you.”

 _“Tssk!”_ Korra made no attempt to cover the tetchiness from her face as she abruptly unhooked her hands and nearly bellowed, “I’m here, aren’t I? What more do you want from me?” Her feet were about to pivot and inevitably give the older woman the cold shoulder - when slender fingertips reached for it and gently twirled her back in place.

They mirrored noiseless gasps as Asami pulled her head forward and crashed soft rosy lips on hers right after, the scent of lilies engulfing her nose.

_Her smooth skin and tender touch..._

_Erased all her anxieties in a mere second._

The amorous moment didn’t last longer, however. A flash of light and Korra felt Asami tremble then sheepishly retreat thereafter.

There was a brief stare down between them – a peaceful wave of revelation washing over – until the outside presence gathered and disrupted them.

The words were hushed in volume but they could hear. And the words weren’t approving.

Asami was unsure why her limbs were suddenly stiff like the temperature had become frigid. With all the gossip to follow, perhaps it was the fear of how her company would do thereafter. Or, with the woman emotionless before her, perhaps it was the fear of her feelings never being requited.

For a while, Korra eyed the people around her and scrunched her eyebrows whenever Asami’s name was mentioned with a derogatory term. However, on the fifth annoying comment about the businesswoman, Korra snapped and grabbed the taller girl’s hand.

Asami flinched lightly at the act but didn’t protest, allowing herself to be pulled calmly despite the restlessness rising within her gut.

About a hundred steps later, past the park’s wall of trees, and to a sidewalk, Korra promptly chose a random car and metalbended its lock open then gestured for Asami to enter it.

A bit cautious, Asami scanned the car’s interior before determining it was one of Wu’s security vehicles and going inside. Upon propping on the farther passenger seat, she flicked a switch and was astounded by its spaciousness and coziness.

Korra joined her right after and sat on the opposite side of the car across of her. Then, while locking the doors, she stated coolly, not particularly looking at Asami, “I think they took a photo.”

Asami’s long eye lashes fluttered. “I know... I heard the flash,” she fretfully ascertained, her head drooping by a margin. Noticing the creases on her skirt, she endeavored to straighten them back to normal with her hands and momentarily occupied herself while the silence stretched between them.

It didn’t take an Avatar to sense that Asami was distraught – what with her regal nose struggling to hold onto a single miniscule tear. Yet Korra could merely gawk at her, her spine as rigid as ever.

“I was confused for the longest time,” Asami eventually sniffed, “But even after three years...” she crumpled her hands over her skirt, rendering her prior effort useless, “I should finally go ahead and say it...” she then heaved an unfathomable breath before fastening her eyes with the cerulean ones and confessing profoundly, “I like you, Korra.”

“Asami...”

Asami mustered all her courage and gradually approached the dazed Avatar, her knees on the carpeted floor. “I adore you.” She knelt between her legs. “Everything that is you.” She placed her hands over her collarbones. “You as the Avatar.” Then her hands smoothly crept up to the tan face and cupped it dearly. “And you as just _you_.” She smiled a bittersweet smile then repeatedly tucked loose strands of the chestnut hair behind her delicate ears. “So please... Don’t be sad.”

It was exactly after those words that Korra’s tears trickled like water and she realized why she couldn’t understand why Asami cried and why she didn’t try to console her a minute ago. Asami had been so empathetic, the tears she shed were in Korra’s behalf – and Korra couldn’t console herself.

_But seeing Asami kneeling before her and begging for her to be happy… Restored something within her that she had been missing. It could be the faith she had for herself, or maybe it’s altogether learning to love herself again._

Either way, there was something to be prideful about in having the heiress of Future Industries practically confess their love. And she was so grateful.

“I’ll try not to,” Korra sobbed, her lips quivering as she attempted to smile, “At least not while you’re here.” She let the darker brunette chuckle and wipe her tears and shake her head before she expressed lowly, “Thank you.”

They beamed at each other for a dozen seconds then, as if on a synchronized whim, their arms simultaneously knotted around each other’s torsos along with their tongues inside their mouths.

In the midst of their deep kiss, the warm phrase rumbled in Korra’s mind…

_“I’m here for you...”_


	2. Love Reincarnated Part I

Everything was pounding. Her head. Her lungs. Her heart. Everything was pounding since the moment she met her. It wasn’t the brightness of the chandelier lights in the ballroom hall or the loud chatter of its numerous occupants. It was the strikingly gorgeous damsel which her friend introduced to her that had caused it.

She had her arm hooked onto his. They were a couple. And she was envious about it. At first, she had thought that it was because she liked him and she was jealous of her. But now… She wasn’t certain.

[-]

“Is everything okay? Is there something I did?” the damsel trailed behind her outside towards the railing of the moonlit balcony. She had no clue why she was summoned by her but she complied anyway.

A grip on the railing and a grit of her teeth. “Who are you?”

“Uhm…” the damsel replied a bit sheepishly, confused, “I’m Asami.”

“No, really…” A crumple of her eyes then a rub of her temples. “Who are you?”

“I told you, I’m Asami,” Asami repeated sternly yet calmly. Worried for the unsteady shorter girl’s well-being, she extended a hand out and pleaded, “Korra…” Not wishing to offend her more given her irritable state, she reworded, “Avatar… _Please_ , let’s go back inside.”

“No,” Korra swatted her hand away, “Not until…” she panted then sneered breathily, “You tell me who you are!”

“Korra!” Asami exclaimed as she barely caught her fainting form.

[-]

_Jet black hair._

_Crimson red lips._

_Lime green eyes._

_They weren’t familiar._

_And yet they were._

_She had felt them._

_Ogled them._

_Kissed them._

_And somehow mourned them._

[-]

When the blur finally subsided, she woke up to another blur – the glare of the shimmering ceiling lights.

If the hand that badgered her shoulder didn’t fully wake her, the voice of the young man who owned the hand sure did. “Korra, are you okay?”

“Bolin?” Korra grumbled while flickering her eyes to open. She slowly sat up then pinched her nose in another attempt to alleviate the remaining pain in her head.

“That’s me,” Bolin nodded proudly then eagerly pried, “What happened?”

“Just… Headaches…” she muttered with a dismissive tone then took a moment to scan the room she was in. It was definitely a reserved lounge area in the same building, she was on a couch, and they were alone. She contemplated for a few seconds on how Bolin must’ve avoided third wheeling by watching over her, before she asked him fastidiously, “Where’s Asami?”

He quirked a single brow. “Mako’s brand new girlfriend?”

“Yea?” She quirked one too, but a little higher.

“She’s downstairs,” he answered simply then pried again, “What’s wrong? Is she the one giving you the headaches?!”

She rolled her eyes but nevertheless half-heartedly bobbed her head in agreement.

“I knew she was a witch!” he threw a fist in the air as if he had been victorious, “You want me to call her?”

“Please…” she sighed heavily then grabbed the glass of water on a nearby coffee table, “I need to figure this out as soon as possible,” she then sealed her eyes and took a sip.

“Okay. I’ll do that – _right now_ ,” he rose from his knelt down position by her side and promptly aimed for the door.

Korra could discern Bolin babbling about how Asami had magically seduced his otherwise apathetic brother, before he left and closed the door shut.

[-]

Discerning the distinctive conversation and footsteps approaching the door, Korra took initiative to open it and was immediately greeted by the taller boy of the group.

“You okay there, Korra?” Mako cocked his head rather curiously, “You passed out.”

“I know,” Korra shrugged but took note of how he didn’t ask about anything more. He didn’t accuse her, either – assuring Korra that the girl right next to him had zipped her lips about the whole ordeal. “Please, can I speak to her privately for a second?” she requested politely, eyeing Asami quite pleasantly.

“I guess.” Mako put his weight on one leg then crossed his arm. “What’s this about though?”

“Not you,” Korra retorted, her eyes a tad squinted in mild impatience.

Asami laid a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I don’t think it’s about you.”

“Okay. Whatever,” Mako gave her a weak smile then allowed her to enter the room without further ado.

[-]

Korra led Asami to the center of the room then began somewhat solemnly, her head angled downwards with shame, “Asami… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude a while ago. I was just… I thought something was attacking me…” she inhaled and exhaled deeply as if for emphasis on how inexplicable it was, “I don’t know… I was just…”

Asami chuckled fleetingly, fairly amused by how much she strove to explain herself. “ _Something_ Avatar-y going on?”

“Yes! Exactly!” Korra virtually yelled, impressed by how accurate her simple words were.

Asami propped a hand on a hip then queried, “Is it my spirit? Do you think I’m an evil spirit like what I heard Bolin mumble about?”

“What?”

“He’s not very sneaky when he gossips…”

Korra shook her head definitively. “No-no… I don’t think that’s it.”

“Then what is it?”

Her shoulders hunched for a quick second before she gazed at the lime green eyes and beheld them earnestly, “Can I be totally honest with you?”

The heiress beamed at her lightheartedly. “I know my appearance might make me seem intimidating – _maybe_ – but you can trust me with secrets. I promise.”

Recalling how she wasn’t admonished by her boyfriend, Korra scratched her head timidly, “Yea… Thanks for not telling them how I treated you a while ago,” she snickered at her own nerve then teasingly declared, “Not that anyone will believe you once I tell you anyway… But _anyway_!” She breathed profoundly once to regain her resolve. “ _Err…_ You gave me visions.”

“Visions?” Asami reiterated, her voice noticeably astonished.

“Of a past life or _something_.”

“ _Something_ is a continuing trend here, I think…” She folded her arms then tapped lightly at her lower lip.

“Okay… But the weirdest part is…” Korra abruptly turned her head to a side, afraid of the blush creeping up her cheeks, “You were like… A lover of mine or yea… _Something_...”

“Oh…” Asami’s eyes widened. “ _Ohhh_ …” Then they widened even more, the awkwardness the situation offered finally sinking in. “That’s why you kept asking me who I was.” She pointed at the bender in front of her like it bolstered her discovery.

“ _Yea_...” Korra rubbed her left bicep coyly. “But I thought I should explain myself… I was mean to you, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Asami swiped at the air with her hands, proving her forbearance. “No hard feelings.”

“I was getting such conflicting emotions and it was giving me major headaches.” Korra hid her hand behind her bangs for a moment while she recollected, “This Avatar was really in love with you,” then she shot her a semi-terrified glance and urgently corrected herself, “––I mean, the other you… In the past!”

“I… _uh_ … I’m flattered _…_ ” Asami’s face could draw a huge question mark with the way she stared at Korra.

The shorter girl pouted feebly, “You don’t believe me.”

“No. Of course, I do,” Asami grabbed her at the sides and tried to console, “The Avatar is the most _amazing_ thing to come to this world. There will be plenty of stuff you would know that I would never be able to comprehend,” then she added with modesty, “And especially since I’m a non-bender – I can’t say I can help you figure this out since I can’t even detect anything out of the material world.”

Korra pursed her lips, skeptic to a degree.

But then Asami stroked her shoulders so caringly she lost all doubt.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Okay? If you still get headaches, let me know. I’ll distance myself from you a bit until you feel better.”

At the comment, Korra salvaged her merrier mood and proclaimed, “I feel better now, talking about it, actually…”

_If she felt better – she didn’t really know…_

“Good.” Asami retrieved her hands then pressed a foot forward to stand right beside her, cuing for their exit. “Then maybe we can go back downstairs and enjoy ourselves again?”

“Yea…” Korra gave her a speedy once over before twisting around to trace the taller girl’s retreating frame.

_…But the woman was a master of persuasion if she tamed her temporarily._

“Yea.”

“And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

There was a peculiar twinkle in the way the temptress looked back and winked at her that nearly made her flush and faint again.


	3. Love Reincarnated Part II

“Korra…?”

A young woman’s voice traveled through a hall then out toward a patio, searching.

She had looked for her for a good while after dinner – after she had noticed she had been avoided all day.

Soon enough in ten steps, the intricate shadow that appeared in view guaranteed she was there.

Korra was leaning on a column, her head relying heavily on it.

“Korra…” Asami called out again once she was right behind her.

The Avatar didn’t respond, however, and Asami was compelled to lay a hand on the well-built shoulder.

The friction caused the shorter girl to jump straightaway and fall backwards – panicked, eliciting a gasp.

Shocked, Asami bent down and scrambled to help her, hands grasping at the defensive arms, “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!” Noting the dampness of her skin, she then promptly brought up, her forehead creased with worry, “You’re sweating… Are you alright?”

Korra panted yet dared to say anyway, “I’m fine.” She spared no glance for her as she callously demanded, “Just leave me alone for today, okay?”

Asami was unsuccessful with pulling her up but didn’t surrender. “Are you worried about the group trying to hunt you down?” she probed, kneeling down for some sort of appeal.

Korra propped a forearm on a knee and blocked her face with it. “I said I’m fine…”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re sweating.”

“Who cares?”

“Me?” A little wounded, Asami adjusted her posture on the stone cold floor and sat with bent knees. In spite of the cruel words, her eyes were cohered to the chestnut haired girl. “You flinched really bad when I touched your arm during breakfast this morning,” she remarked, her tone soft, “Then you flinched really bad just a minute ago after I laid a hand on your shoulder.” In need of a second to gather the right words, she gazed at the metallic sculptures in the neighboring park before she warily questioned, “Is this about the past lover thing by any chance?”

Out of the blue, Korra responded, a tad of sorrow in her voice, “I haven’t had visions since we first met… And I lost connection to my past lives…” Her following sentence was more accusing than troubled, however, her voice mounting in volume as she eventually beheld her fully, “Yet now… Just now… I’m having them again…every time your skin made contact with mine! _Why is that???_ ”

Filled with shame, Asami lowered and shook her head, “ _I don’t know…_ ” She then bit her lip and inwardly cried, uncertain of what to do. Then spontaneously, an answer came to her – and her head shot up as she offered, “But I want to help you find out. _I do_.” She extended her hands out and attempted to reach out for the tan ones. “Can I try something… _Please?_ ”

Korra was unresponsive by mouth but her whole demeanor had relaxed after her heartfelt plea. She considered it – and as if from instinct, she shifted into a meditative form and slammed her eyes shut as soon as their palms meshed.

Asami could merely stay still while her partner entered her contemplative state – though her sights travelled all over the Avatar’s serene face and upper body.

_Even in sleep, she had an influence._

The inactivity dragged on for over five minutes before she recognized miniscule contortions on her face…

…And their hands unclasped while she waked.

“What happened?” Asami urgently pried, worried for the increasingly glistening sapphire eyes.

“Did you see anything?” Refusing to let her voice waver, Korra swallowed.

“No…” Asami replied gloomily, “Did you?”

Korra released a weary breath like it was necessary to prepare herself before she vaguely revealed, “At first, you hated me because I killed your father. He was the enemy.” She paused, reflective on the parallels it could represent in their current world. “Secretly, you joined me in my mission in order to discover who my allies were, what my plan was, then ultimately _kill me_ …” At the last two words, she had stared deeply at Asami. “But then, in the process of learning who I was, we fell in love… And you lost track of your objective.” Then, abruptly distraught, her blue moons descended while she whispered, “You died in my arms after you tried to protect me from the very people you grew up with.”

“I can’t believe it…” Asami failed to contain a tear and it plummeted down her cheek. Afraid more would leak, she held a hand up and wiped it immediately. “I’m sorry you’re having all this painful visions because of me...”

“No… Don’t be,” Korra instantly hushed and strove to match the kindness she had regretfully declined, “I should be the one who’s sorry. I was mean to you again. I should’ve figured it would be easier to share it with you than hide it. So thank you.” She smiled at her sweetly then gently interlocked their hands once more. “Asami… What do you think of soul mates and reincarnation?”

Asami somehow lit up at the query, although she simply said, “I can’t say...”

Stirred from the possibilities, Korra tightened her clutch on her hands then explained, “I think I… _we_ had this bond since the very beginning. It’s not easy to trigger. But since we’ve suddenly gotten close…”

“I see…”

“I want to believe you can sense something too.”

“Well I…” Asami fleetingly looked to the ceiling for clues. Once found, she stated quite proudly, “You’ve always had a magnetic pull on me. I can’t seem to stop following you wherever you go,” she chuckled, a bit embarrassed of how silly and juvenile it sounded. “I’m not sure if that counts…” In this transition, she intertwined their left hand’s fingers. “But I’m willing to explore it with you.”

Korra’s mouth fell agape from the even more intimate hold. Determined to keep it from being awkward, she playfully quizzed, “Crazy, huh? What are the chances of my soul meeting with Raava twice and reuniting with yours?”

The engineer tittered, “I’m not that good at probability.”


	4. Avoiding Her

The Air Temple Island’s main dining hall was loud and full of glee after a long day of the air acolytes’ graduation.

Well… It was full of glee except for the one woman who seemed distressed.

She had been ignored all day by a certain water tribe girl talking to a group in the room’s opposite corner – and it had irked her. To her knowledge, she did nothing out of line to deserve that kind of treatment.

Therefore, she zoomed in on the girl and sliced through the crowd like a machete to reach her target before it was alarmed.

And with her sternest face on, she faulted her more than asked, “Why have you been avoiding me?”

Startled, the air apprentices eyed Korra and Asami apprehensively. And not wishing to get involved, they gradually left them alone.

To Asami’s immediate dismay, Korra merely took two steps backwards and didn’t reply, the blue eyes apparently studying a splinter on the wooden floor.

“Did I say something wrong yesterday?” Asami pried without a hint of her usual compassion.

“No...”

“Korra, I’m done being worried. Could you tell me why every time I tried to approach you today you disappear?”

“I can’t tell you...”

The four words almost made her yell in utter irritation. “Tell me!”

To avoid an altercation, Korra finally dropped her act and shrugged, “Damn it, Asami. You just made me lose a bet.”

“ _What?!_ ” The tone Asami’s voice achieved turned everyone’s head.

“Do that thing you always do when you get angered or irritated,” Korra had the audacity to request casually.

“You played a bet on me?!”

“Yea...”

“ _Haha!_ ” Out of nowhere, Bolin came butting in and jutted an arm out to present his palm open, “Alright, I win! Now where’s my money?”

Korra groaned bitterly then scowled as she dug in her pocket. She was preparing to spill its contents over Bolin’s outstretched hand – until a miracle manifested before her. “OH WAIT!” The corners of her lips raised high and widened by a mile while she vigorously nudged the earthbender beside her. “OH MY SPIRITS, SHE’S DOING IT NOW!” She pointed at the fuming businesswoman’s face and revered at the exquisite twitching of her emerald eyes. “THANK YOU ASAMI! I LOVE YOU!!!”

Korra didn’t even have time to blink before a beautiful roundhouse kick sent her flying towards a fragile sliding door and into the next room.


	5. Imprint Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mild language.

The barrel of a rifle gleamed under the full moon as it was cocked, the distinguishing click only audible to the woman which held it. Thanks to the wail of the winter wind, much of any sound was muffled.

“Asami,” a young man called out once he hopped out of his jeep, his boots sinking slightly in the snow, “stay close to me and everything will be fine,” he assured with a weak smile, a small reminder of the lengthier conversation they had just minutes ago.

Compliant as can be, Asami nodded and stated firmly, “Alright.” Then she slowly approached him and the other members of their group who took formation. And bit by bit, they started to roam the frozen wilderness.

There were a total of six in their squad, two of them her trainers. A few more additional squads were spread across the snow-carpeted forest, most of them in the forefront to ensure her sole safety. This was her very first mission – and although they deemed her skills in the training exercises as legendary, she was still the daughter of their leader.

And despite the news of the werewolves being lesser, everything she learned since childhood would be tested here and she didn’t want to disappoint either way. After all, in her mind, any kill, or better, catch would be a step forward to avenging her mother’s death. She emptied her thoughts momentarily and refueled her mental and physical vigor by recollecting her father’s teachings.

For centuries, vampires, immortals, and werewolves clashed beneath the shadows for dominance while humans, for the most part, lived freely. The humans that did somehow interact with the three separate super species either ended up dead or was brought into their multiple clans.

She was on the verge of pondering over what she was told what happened to her mother – when a sudden howl echoed in the mountains and provoked a number of birds to scatter in the starry sky.

“Hear that?” the young man gazed at his peers then took a firing stance, scoping the surroundings with it, “They’re near.”

Asami copied him and the rest of her group, her cheek pressed calmly against the top of the rifle’s stock and her feet pressed solid on the ground.

But then an orange flare was shot high above the tall trees northeast of their location and the young man aggressively signaled for them to sprint towards it, “Let’s go!”

Their run in the woods was somewhat of a blur for Asami. She was conscious of her actions while she skipped over minor boulders and jumped over thin streams but the background felt surreal to her – like she was inside a train with no idea where it was taking her.

It became even more surreal halfway through their destination when one of the members only a few feet beside her was tackled to her direction – and she reflexively dodged it with a tumble. The ten foot beast growled as she rapidly threw a silver dagger on its shoulder – but wasn’t punctured, its russet coating too thick.

“ASAMI!” the young man ahead of her yelled and fired his gun.

Alarmed, the beast leaped instantly and aimed for him, ignoring the shots that grazed its sides.

Realizing half of her team was busy with another two werewolves that had emerged, Asami quickly recovered her footing then pointed her rifle at the one which was onto her friend. “Mako!” she shouted first then pulled the trigger. The beast was hit on the back but didn’t falter. She waited patiently for an opening then tried a second time – and the beast stopped immediately in its tracks and plummeted on top of him with a loud thud, her bullet piercing its brain precisely on its medulla.

Noticing their companion’s death, the grey werewolf in the area sprung a couple of yards away while the charcoal werewolf tussled with the three hunters. The darker werewolf was then promptly put down with a simultaneously launched net, and during its wriggling, the lighter werewolf began to howl powerfully, disregarding its prior task.

Asami’s whole group was startled as more howls were brusquely incited everywhere in the forest.

The harmonized reverberation immersed Asami’s ears and she had to cover her ears tightly to keep herself from becoming deaf.

But even so, she heard Mako’s plea.

“ASAMI, RUN FOR IT!” he screamed while still struggling to crawl out of the hefty beast toppling him.

Asami was going to plant a foot forward to disobey, but a low rumbling noise made her halt and automatically look up to search the mountains for an answer.

And just like she imagined – an incoming avalanche.

“MAKO!” she roared thereafter and hurried his way.

Shocked and aggravated of her nerve yet fearing for her life, her colleagues hastily chased after her in hopes to haul her from harm. “ASAMI, NO!”

Midway however, a werewolf bolted out of nowhere and blocked their path abruptly, its back facing them.

Then it simply stood there, on all fours, like a dog.

And as perceptible as the swift shift in the wind, Asami felt its chilling glower and twisted around to experience it.

_Within a second – an obscuring flurry of white and a drowning lake of ice blue._

Asami’s breath got caught in her throat, just like her rifle got caught in her straps.

Gunshots she didn’t own then came in rapid succession – yet the flurry of white drifted naturally with the snow toward her. She thanked her feet as she effectively ducked and rolled from each lunge it attempted on her. But on her fourth twirl, she was struck by its husky tail and knocked over, face first.

She groaned then winced as the canine head tucked underneath from behind her then lifted her off her feet and slid her over its furry back. Bewildered by the deed, she tugged on its fur for a chance to observe its motive, but was only granted a view of the cold stampede.

From afar, it was like a sheet of ivory blanketing the slope of the mountain; though, as it spread closer, she discerned the damage it could bring them with its trundling rocks and trees. Thus, she grimaced and stretched an arm out feebly as the werewolf swerved around and carried her away from her fellow hunters.

There was a subtle ticking in her mind and her left hand connected with the hilt of one of her daggers. She pondered for a good minute over what she should do with it…

But then the blanket morphed into a dark thundering cloud and engulfed them.

[-]

They fell off a cliff.

She shrieked.

In the midst of the chaos...

The werewolf cradled her against its chest.

Warmth lulling her to sleep.

[-]

Wafts of wet greenery plus the light tapping of cool pebbles on the valley between her nose and upper lip persuaded her eyes to shiver then open.

Above her, as much as she wished to deny it, was reminiscent to a morning of hot cocoa.

The werewolf had been a girl, her skin a dark tan and drenched from molten snow. Her hair was walnut brown and her face was youthful but strong. The girl’s head hanged inches away from her and in a meager stress. Though her eyes were crumpled shut, she seemed at peace.

Venturing to study her shoulder and arms, on the other hand, rendered Asami to swallow her gasp.

The girl’s arms were bulged to a great extent, bearing the whole burden of a tree from crushing them. They had been trapped underneath it and a pile of rocky debris. Only a tiny gap which wasn’t snowed in, and parallel to her prone form, permitted air and sunlight to seep through.

The light tapping of cool pebbles returned to her, except they now dripped at her mouth and she figured it was passed from the girl’s knitted brows.

It was all very disconcerting for her and, at the same time, _soothing_.

This girl could’ve killed her, but instead, protected her.

She should unsheathe her silver blade right now, but instead, fought not to accept the heat emanating from her.

Her near proximity had aided her not to freeze – nonetheless, it was a tough endeavor not to touch her and be completely warmed by her.

Asami gritted her teeth and deliberated…

_She’ll wiggle herself out from below her then out through the gap._

But with one miniscule move of her finger – the girl’s eyes peeled open.

And the lake of ice blue drowned her once more.

Their eyes fastened like a magazine to a gun and her heart pounded in her chest, her senses reloaded.

Then the girl clenched her teeth, the bridge of her nose wrinkled, her eyes twitched, and she sniffed her hungrily, salivating.

Asami strove to recoil from her wolf-like expression, veering her face away and into the snow as far as she could.

Then the girl suddenly huffed out, the vapor from her breath hitting her gently, “I’m sorry.”

The entire wreckage they were encased in shifted a tad as the girl dipped two inches low and licked her lower lip then sealed it with hers.

“ _Mm~n!_ ” Asami squirmed faintly as the werewolf sipped on the blood she eventually discovered was dripping from her lower lip.

When she bent her arms and pressed her hands against her chest to push her off – the entire wreckage pushed off with her – the werewolf salvaging her strength.

The tree plunged backwards and downwards as the girl growled and shoved herself up on her feet. The brightness of the sun caused her to squint for a split-second – then she plunged backwards and downwards as well, beaten.

Reckoning it was the first most sensible thing to do, Asami sat up then looked at her curiously. Contrariwise, the second thing she did didn’t even manifest in her brain and just manifested through her mouth. “Are...” She stood then cautiously advanced to the languid body, her eyebrows arching with a margin of worry. “Are you okay?”

The girl grumbled, “Yes…” then sluggishly picked herself up, her left leg limping, “I will be.”

Asami tilted her head to a side to hide her small blush. The girl’s physique was well-built but she was also totally naked. Out of her usual kindness, she undid the zipper of her burgundy parka – but before she could offer it, the girl interrupted her.

“No, no,” the girl waved a hand to stop her, “don’t. It’s okay. You need it more to keep yourself warm.”

“You’re naked,” Asami stated the obvious with a negligible condescending tone like it would sway her.

“Don’t worry,” the girl smiled and then visibly blushed, tucking loose strands of her damp hair behind her ear.

She may be a werewolf but in that minute to Asami – her demeanor reminded her more of a shy little fox.

Unsure of where to continue from there, Asami rewound to the semi-kiss. “Why did you...”

“Im…” the girl cut her off and blurted timidly at the start, linking her hand with her elbow as if for support. But then she renewed her confidence and determined with certainty, “Imprinting.” She straightened her stature even and bowed at the waist, arms on her sides, “From this moment forth, my life is yours,” she declared humbly.

Asami gawked at her from disbelief. The girl had answered everything with one word. But it wasn’t the answer she thought she would hear.

_Imprinting?_

_It was common knowledge within the hunters._

_Yet she couldn’t admit it._

_She was this werewolf’s soul mate?_

Asami quickly pivoted around, foot carving a ring in the snow, “I-I’m sorry... I need to go find my friend,” she half-stuttered, ashamed.

“But I’m yours!”

The phrase provoked her to glance back and she instantly regretted it.

The girl beheld her with such brokenness – she felt like she hit a puppy.

“Please, you can’t follow me. You’ll be killed.”

The girl panted, “I’ve always been yours! I can’t help it! I’ll follow your scent wherever I can catch it!”

Asami balled a fist. “You’ll die!”

_Had she never been saved from the avalanche the girl’s kindred caused… She wouldn’t give a single shit if she died._

The girl’s sapphire eyes dithered up and down glumly for a few seconds, considering it. After she considered it, she still decided, “Then so be it.”

Asami didn’t understand why the girl infuriated her this much, but she did and she practically bellowed her retort. “You can’t follow me! You don’t even know my name! How can I be sure this is not just a ruse to take advantage of me?!” To conclude her argument, she jutted a livid palm out and snarled, ”And for fuck sakes you’re utterly naked!”

The girl remained silent but scowled gravely before her, helpless.

Staggered by her own temper, Asami raked a hand under her long side bang and contemplated, “What should I do? I’m a Sato...” She shook her head then gazed at the distance below comprised of sunlit winter pine trees, as if referring to the wilds where the girl’s kind hid. “Why does werewolf culture have to be so complicated? Shouldn’t you be a man if I am your imprintee?”

The girl perked up a bit from her questions, appreciating her inquisitiveness. “I was confused too but I couldn’t ignore you,” she calmly attempted to explain, “I was told that when I was born... The mother wolf Raava was reborn in me. There are a lot of things I can’t explain.”

“ _Raava..._ ” Asami whispered, aware of the legend. “I don’t want to kill your kind. I don’t. But we can’t be together. It won’t work,” she regarded her sternly once again, though with less animosity.

“I can shift whenever I want,” the girl assured, her lips shaping into a merry arc, hopeful, “It can work.”

As the girl began to approach her, Asami grabbed her gun and aimed it at her heart in one smooth motion. _She remembered what had happened to her mother._ _“Why am I even––?!”_ Inevitably at a crossroads, Asami heaved a heavy breath then cocked her revolver’s hammer. “You hurt my friends!” she chose as the excuse instead and bit her lips in as they quivered.

_She didn’t want to hurt anyone._

_She never wanted to._

“Don’t follow me!” She took some step backwards, gun still pointed.

Nevertheless, the girl followed her – limping a step forward every time she stepped back.

Asami shuddered, _“Don’t make me––!”_

At the mention, the girl ambled trice versus her twice, her intention as crystal as her eyes.

Eventually, the barrel met with the crux of the tan forehead and Asami’s voice cracked as she sobbed, the trigger shaking against her finger.

The wind moaned and, as if urged by it, she tossed the revolver to a side, her swift swipe at the air resounding as she did. Exasperated, her knees dropped to the ground and she buried her face in her hands. “I never truly wanted to be a hunter,” she confessed, trembling, “but my father…”

With that confession, the girl simply watched her lament, granting her a time to sort her emotions out.

Then after three or so minutes of her hair merely playing with the breeze, the girl finally bent down and uttered softly, “Hey…” She waited for Asami to peculiarly stare up at her before she pleasantly presented a hand, “My name is Korra. What’s yours?”

Asami scrubbed the tears off of her cheeks and eyes with her fingers.

_Could she?_

_Could she really?_

“Asami,” she said breathily, remnants of her grief upsetting her tone.

“Please, Asami,” Korra pleaded with a candor that melted her and everything that surrounds her, “let me come with you.”

Asami gave herself a second to compose herself.

_She could._

Then, as she accepted her hand – she kicked herself for letting herself begin to sink into the lake that was her eyes.


	6. Imprint Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore.

The sun hung close to the east, a mere two hours passing since it had risen. Below its soothing rays of light was a small village, tucked well beneath the tallest trees. Somehow, a substantial beam of light snuck through the thick blanket of verdure and spotlighted a tiny clearing, its current occupants lounging on a bed of snow.

Korra sat comfortably while throwing a stick in the distance for her dog to fetch. And before each repeated throw, she would breathe in a lungful of air and cherish the cool yet calm breeze with it. And after each successful retrieval of the stick by her dog, its enthusiastic barking would incite her to do it all over again.

_She had no complaints, simply thankful for the free time she was granted. For months since she reached maturity, she had been pressured nonstop to fight for her clan and find a solution to the war. At first, she had been confident, self-aware of the spirit inside her. But then, the war turned more hostile, and her expeditions caused more deaths than good._

_Then, the avalanche happened – and she met Asami. She offered to follow her and pretend to be one of her father’s soldiers. But Asami refused, saying she wouldn’t be able to fool them. And so Asami followed her instead. Within her village’s compassionate walls and with their trust of Raava’s instincts, Asami was welcomed by the werewolves with little to no ire._

_Asami then proved to be reasonable and intellectual, quickly opening to the idea of their kind being framed by the vampires._

_In the end, the woman Korra vowed her life to – could prove to be the one to ultimately end the war for them and save her._

Korra’s arm was mid-swing when the voice she had been rewinding in her head suddenly swooped in.

“I’ll never get used to seeing this,” Asami claimed, her footsteps incredibly weightless on the snow, Korra barely sensing it.

Pleasantly surprised, Korra stared at the creeping hunter behind her and quizzed, “What?” She paused for a second, admiring the stylish woman’s ‘morning’ look, which, by werewolf standards, was too chic to be a ‘morning’ look. _Not that she minded…_ “Me playing with Naga?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” She quirked an eyebrow friskily. “Because my dog looks like me?”

“Basically,” Asami smiled, glimpsing at her white Siberian husky then back at her, “yes.”

Korra’s lips parted by a millimeter, the woman looming over her captivating her effortlessly like a moth to a filament in a light bulb. Even Naga’s barking and crawling underneath her hands didn’t unhinge her sights off of the slender brunette.

“Hey,” she stated quite flatly to her imprintee, though her stomach would indicate otherwise.

Asami leant a bit forward, curious. “ _Hmm?_ ”

Lacking forethought, Korra had to redirect her eyes somewhere else momentarily before the question arrived to her, “Wanna take a walk in the woods?”

“What’s there to do in the woods?” Asami probed, not necessarily declining.

“Walk and,” the word was stuck in Korra’s throat for a second, bashful, “ _talk…_ ”

“Yeah, sure. Why not?” In her approval, Asami stretched a hand out for her to grasp.

The miniscule, fleeting, almost unnoticeable bite she did on her lower cherry lip sent a river of goosebumps down Korra’s neck that she pretended was from the wind.

[-]

_Korra would be ashamed to admit it this soon, but walking in the woods with Asami was probably the most pleasurable thing she’s done in a long while. The city girl was everything opposite of her in retrospect, yet in the bigger picture: past, present, and future, their interests aligned._

_Asami was the daughter of a very wealthy industrialist who, after his wife died, became a powerful militaristic leader of hunters – an immortal clan who hunted werewolves. While she was raised with everything in arm’s reach – her father was rarely there for her since her mother died. She was closer to her protective guardians, one being Mako in the recent years. And though she respected them, she felt trapped within the confines of her city. Thus, coming with Korra and leaving her city was somewhat of a painless feat for her. It quenched a thrill she had been missing all her life and she felt free._

_In comparison, Korra was the daughter of a chief from a very traditional tribe of werewolves. While she was loved and given everything she needed for being born as the chief’s only child and Raava’s incarnate – the pressure to be the sole savior of their clan was constantly brought about to her, even indirectly. Thus, having Asami as her imprintee provided a great deal of relief._

_All because Asami wanted to help. She wanted to see her father be normal again, without rage. In her mind, putting her mother’s true murderer to justice would provide him that peace._

“Thank you.” Korra initiated their halt, snow partly burying her boots. “You don’t have to be here but you are.” She beheld Asami with care, admiring her mellow sunlight speckled face as she proclaimed, “Like you said back then, I could just be using you.”

Unable to easily accept her gratitude, Asami pouted faintly. “We’ve hunted your kind like animals. And I killed one of your peers...”

“In defense of yours...”

“Still...” Afraid of sounding too solemn, she fiddled with her left glove temporarily, feigning her glove’s adjustment. “If your people truly weren’t involved in my mother’s torture and death,” she then fixed her most genuine emerald eyes at her and pledged, “then I owe you so much more.”

“But you shouldn’t have that burden on behalf of your entire clan,” Korra partially disagreed, heartened by her nobleness but worried for her safety.

“But you do, don’t you?” Asami retorted, the corners of her lips uplifting slightly as if to mark her minor victory, “Just because you’re Raava.”

“I was born for this...” Korra rubbed her nose sheepishly, pondering for the exact word, “purpose. You’re not.” She then sighed, subsequently remembering who Asami was to her. “Even if...”

“I am your imprintee?” Asami completed for her.

Korra shrugged half-heartedly. The hunter had such a positive poise that Korra was obliged to surrender – albeit rather displeased of her loss.

Apparently a goddess of kindness, Asami was fast to perceive her unease and thusly diverted their topic, “We should talk about something else.”

Korra glanced at her appreciatively. She was never keen on conceding defeat to anyone, but Asami was different. None should be able to ignore the pacifying gleam in her herbal irises or the assuaging bend of her shapely cranberry lips.

_She truly was a goddess._

[-]

Korra was wondering how she was the spawn of the man that vowed to destroy her family when a strange whiff of iron and metal crossed her sense of smell.

_Blood. Blood of someone she knew._

Confused, she subtly sniffed at the air about her. “There’s a scent…” she informed Asami, staring long at its source’s direction, “It’s…” straining out the particular scent, she tarried.

Lacking the nose of a werewolf, Asami merely gaped at her in silence.

Then Korra’s eyes swiftly ignited and she ran toward the scent. “It’s Jet’s!”

“Korra?!” Startled, Asami darted after her.

Jet was the werewolf Asami shot dead, and his scent drew Korra in like vacuum. About a hundred feet from her original location, past dozens of trees, Korra swore she heard Asami gasp before she yelled like thunder...

“KORRA, NO!”

And Korra slammed hard on the snow, her chin scraping actual ground. Asami had tackled her right before the sharp sound of steel being propelled manifested through her awareness like a crash of lightning.

_TSHHK!!!_

In under a split-second, Korra twisted around and saw Asami get pierced on the torso with multiple silver long bolts, the momentum more than enough to shoot her body instantly unto a tree like a butterfly to a dart.

“ASAMI!!!”

Blots of crimson muddled plain white snow and tan cheeks before Korra screamed again, “ASAMI!!!” She desperately rushed to Asami’s pinned frame, tears splitting the crimson on her face.

_TSSHHAAK!!!_

“ _NHAA–AGGHhh!!!_ ” Asami couldn’t restrain her head from jerking and her facial features from contorting in agony as the major bolt in her gut opened like an umbrella then closed – spilling most of her insides like vomit.

Korra’s heart thumped in a crippling rhythm as she watched half of Asami’s upper body unbare, innards hanging like bloodied angel hair while her porcelain vertebra struggled to hold onto the rest below. Moreover, the lower part of her lungs inflated and deflated feebly beneath her ribs, and it reflected in her weepy intake of breath.

“ _K-korra…_ ” Asami managed through quivering lips and half-lidded eyes.

Stunned out of horror, Korra just then discerned the bolt that missed her head, the metal tacking her ear and slashing the skin covering her skull by centimeters thick. The brutality of her blood gushing from her stomach jolted her back into focus and she grabbed at the major bolt at her center and strove to pull it out, her hands burning as if submerged in lava. While steam rose and clouded her vision with the first bolt hove out, she continued with the bolts by Asami’s shoulders and gritted her teeth with each renewed grip.

After the bolts were tossed away and splinters littered with her blood in the snow, Asami collapsed into Korra’s readied arms like a broken dove.

With a loud sob, Korra knelt down and cradled her, gentler than a mother. Disregarding the crimson infused in her hands, she traced Asami’s left cheek upwards, lingering on her stray stresses then sweeping them away to cup her paling face. “ _Asami,_ _please!_ ”

Her jade eyes were serene for a second, nearly shut – then the next, they broadened like a boiling bubble and her body tensed.

“ _MHHAA~AAGH!!!_ ” Asami’s mouth flew open and she whimpered violently, her back arching irrepressibly.

Traumatized, Korra nervously draped her arms on her body, endeavoring to keep her still.

But Asami shoved her, yet begged in contrast, mottled fingers digging into her jacket. “ _P-pleasse!_ ” she clenched her teeth now, face soaked with ache, “ _Don’t…look!_ ”

Yet Korra did look. She had to.

As Asami’s high-pitched wailing and twitching resonated in the forest, her insides began to scramble back inside her. Her liver and stomach led the laborious hike while her intestines followed suit, slithering its way through.

Korra was conflicted on whether to be aghast or mystified. But she kept her hand in support of Asami’s back even as chunks and splats of nauseating crimson daubed her anterior like a morbid canvas. In truth, the strong aroma of sundered flesh and her voracious nature should provoke her into hunger – but Raava had always had her in check, and she had never eaten a human, much less her imprintee.

After Asami’s viscera assembled like little soldiers, her skin started to weave on top of it seamlessly. With every cavernous pant she exerted that wobbled her internal organs, every nerve and every muscle fiber knitted cleanly in order, layer upon layer. Even the tiny patch of skin that was getting sewn last on her head still made her wheeze, flinching opposite of it.

Once not a scratch was on her body, Korra pore over her noiselessly, allowing minutes to pass until her tremors subsided. Regardless of the blood on her face and slightly disordered hair, she admired her beautiful visage – one she initially assumed to be intimidating – but was now the most loving image in her dreams.

When Asami’s trembling reduced to ragged breathing, Korra gingerly grasped her left hand and interlaced her fingers with hers. She then smiled bittersweetly, content that the brunette’s fair skin recovered its silky perfection despite its abrupt dampness from sweat. “ _Asami…_ ” she whispered dearly as tears leaked inside her mouth.

Unprepared, Asami shivered from the contact more than from her exposed torso. Though still charmed, she loosened the knots on her forehead and granted Korra the contemplation she had been waiting to see.

“ _I’m so sorry!_ ” Korra immediately cried into her neck, her nose digging deeply like she lived and breathed off of her whole essence.

“I’m sorry too…” Asami murmured, unlatching her fingers from hers only to place it tenderly on her chest to push her a tad and gaze at her. She then snuck an arm over her shoulders and confessed, “I helped design these... It never occurred to me…they’d set one up nearby…” she elaborated slowly, her will for speech fairly fatigued, “The scent lures you in…laser detectors…bolts conform to…human or werewolf form…” she rested for a second to fill her lungs then resumed, “kills you…destroys your insides…extensive blood…will surely lure more werewolves…more traps in vicinity…”

Korra shook her head and tittered lightheartedly, discounting her claim, “Please, stop being so nice to me.”

At her teasing request, Asami reeled her down impossibly close and hugged her. “I can’t… Everything about you…pulls me in…” she then huffed against her ear, her breathing ardent, “And you’re so warm…” Her teeth grazed her neck, hinting at a smirk.

Time seemed nonexistent as Korra tucked herself into their embrace and sealed her eyes. All that mattered to her in the standstill was the hum of Asami’s lungs and the thump of her heartbeat.

Asami was an immortal and could survive the most gruesome injuries, but to sacrifice comfort and endure the pain of mutilation and, subsequently, regeneration was a feat immortals reserved solely between their kind.

Imprinting was ridiculous in the way it could be so sudden – but the immediate connection they shared was anything but.

[-]

Korra was heaved back into reality when the dull thud of footsteps invaded her cognizance. Albeit disappointedly, she swiftly detached from Asami's clutch to study the area around them.

Asami remained quiet, though observed her fretfully.

“They're coming...” Korra warned, unfamiliar of the group’s footsteps which was en route. She made an effort to pick Asami up before she stood but the hunter dissuaded her.

With a firm countenance, Asami merely hooked an arm around her neck, clasping her torn coat and blouse as Korra took the cue and assisted her to her feet. “Don’t shift,” she requested, slightly woozy, “If they’re not your people…they’re mine.”

“Shouldn’t we leave?”

“No,” Asami disagreed but eyed her comfortingly, “let me explain.”

Soon enough, the footsteps turned into blurred figures – then the blurred figures turned into a group of six – and just as Asami supposed, the group of six were a group of hunters, fully equipped in snow military gear, rifles raised.

Once the tallest and leading man appeared before them and removed his helmet, Korra gawked, identifying who he was.

“Asami?!” The leader’s resolve unstiffened by a tad as he recognized the heiress. He then accordingly commanded his followers, lowering his gun and lifting his other hand, “Hold your fire!”

“Mako?!” Surprised, Asami’s tone softened, delighted to see him, “I’m glad you’re alive...”

But then he spotted her ripped and blood-stained clothes and instantly reestablished his aim, “You!” he referred to Korra, “What’d you do to Asami?!”

“No, Mako!” she interfered, partially stepping in front of Korra to block him from his target. “She’s with me!”

He bent an eyebrow, skeptic. “You got hit by the trap?!”

“Yes…” she disclosed with some shame, “It was an accident…”

He blinked hard once to process her reply. Thereafter, he solidified his finger on the trigger, his voice escalating at the revelation. “You’re a werewolf aren’t you?!!” he bellowed at Korra.

Asami extended an arm out, frightened of his followers who copied his bearing. “Don’t!”

“Asami, I know very well you know how our traps work,” he accused, his right eye determinedly glued to his rifle’s scope, “Why are you protecting her?”

“She…saved me,” she affirmed earnestly, pulling her hand back to her chest.

He couldn’t believe it. Or he refused to believe it. And so he pried, “And why… Why have you been gone for almost a month?” His apprehension had a tint of prejudice and, _worse_ , jealousy. “What’ve you been doing with her?”

“I’ve been learning their…culture.” At the sentence, she faltered a bit and Korra caught her smoothly at the sides. “Studying their ways…” She glimpsed at her thankfully as she finished. But unfinished with her argument, she then told him delicately, “Mako…they’re good people.”

“Have you forgotten what they did to your mother? They used her as live meat to feed off of!”

With his vindictive allegation, Korra snapped, “That wasn’t us! We’ve been trying to find the evidence we need and it’s caused a war for over a decade but it wasn’t us!”

His yellow eyes flared up as he scolded more than questioned Asami, “You believe her?!”

“Yes…I do!” In Asami’s strain to answer him, she stumbled backwards onto Korra, semi-fainting. “It’s cold…” she noted weakly as Korra regarded her attentively.

Tired of the squabble, Korra relinquished her defenses and decisively carried Asami in her arms.

“HEY!” Mako shouted disapprovingly and stomped a foot forward, his glare like a chokehold.

“It’s okay, Mako...” Asami mumbled while she propped her head drowsily on Korra’s shoulder, too exhausted to return his stare.

“Your father won’t be okay with this! Come back with us!”

“I can’t…” she droned, “Not today.”

“Asami…” Eventually, Korra peered at her with utmost compassion, abandoning any other concern but her. “Don’t you need to rest? After regenerating this much?”

“ _Korra…_ ” was Asami’s fragile response.

And with that, Korra promptly threw a severe gaze at Mako and decided ultimately, “I have to take her back to my village. If you want to come, bring an open mind and leave all your weapons here.”

Mako stubbornly dared, eyes narrowing, “And if we don’t?”

“I’m taking her anyway,” Korra concluded flatly.

“Please, Mako,” Asami beseeched partly into Korra’s shirt, “They won’t fight…if you don’t. Hear me out… This war has to stop.”

For half a minute, silence stretched between Korra and Mako, their pride equal and unwavering…

Until Mako surrendered with a drop of his gun and knives, his weapons clunking lightly on the snow. “Alright…” His scowl untightened as he declared, “I’m doing this for Asami, not for you.”

After everyone in his team did as he demonstrated, Asami expressed loud enough for him to hear, “Thank you.”

Korra made one last scan of the weapons that have been discarded before twisting around and assuring a substantial amount of distance would be between them while she guided them towards her village.

_If anything were to happen… She can disappear with the snow._

A mere five steps into their trip back, she brusquely woke the brunette already dozing in her arms, “I forgot to mention,” she paused just to grin, “thanks for saving me from that trap.”

Asami squinted irritably for a jiffy, but then stipples of sunshine glazed her face and she grinned too. “So… We’re even…”

“We’ve always been even,” Korra retorted, baring her teeth wider than hers, “My life is yours.”

“ _Shh…_ ” Unappreciative of the quip, Asami lightheartedly punched her on the chin. “I have no energy to fight you…”

“I know.”


End file.
